Golf ball teeing apparatus



Nov. 18, .1952 E, E, WILLIAMS 2,618,480

GOLF BALL TEEING APPARATUS Original Filed Feb. 18, 1948 Ill /N VEN 7'0` EARL E. WILL/AMS A from/E Ys `latented Nov. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PAT EN T "OFFICE GOLF BALL TEEINGr. APPARATUS l*Earl-E. Williams Augusta, Kans.

Original.application'Februar-y `18, 1948, SerialN'o.

9;'169; Dividedand this applicationMarchl29, 1949,`Seria`l 1N0.l84',-101. In Great Britain-June lllaix'ns. -1

This l invention relates to ra game, `and v particularly toa golf game.

Stilllmore particularly it relates to a'mechan isrn for the positioning of a'golfball.

This application isazdivision of mycopending application' Serial No. 9,169, lled February 13, 1948, and issued as UTS. Patent 2,581,738.

The 1 particular obiecti offthis invention iis 'to provide andndoor golf: germe which will be highly realistic and Yin which `it i possible substantially tov duplicatey tee `conditions encountered--ontheor-V dinary rgolf: links It is'falso-an l obj ectt of this invention to f provide an automatic. tee Ifor use --i-n.connection with; golf games or drivngranges.

It is aV further object of this invention tofprovide Aa tee which holds a :ball in -a -xed .position from whiehfit canonly be dislodged .bya sharp blow;

A'stillzfurtherobject of the invention is to provide.- a tees mechanism Vwhich Inot only Y delivers the ball to the driving platform but automatically positionsfthe ballronrthe tee-'andholds the ballagainst accidentalrolling off the tee.

These :and other objects:y and yadvantages will become. more apparent uponreference to the Yfollowing description taken in connection with the accompanyingk drawingsinVw-hich: v

Figure .l yis a. sectional view ofthe automatic tee. according'to this invention which spots the ballpreparatoryvto the driving-thereof; and

Figure` 2 isA a fragmentary sectional 'View of a tee when the ball carrying member starts its descentvinto .the tube recess below the tee.

Referring to thedrawings-the ball II issupported on a tee proper indicated at I5, which comprisesra tubular nipple extension above the level of iloor IB. The .nipple I5 is supported `on the hollow L piece Il which ,is rigidly supported in a block I8.

Block Itis pivotally mounted relative-to the fioorby ahollow shaft I9. This hollow shaft I9 communicates with the hollow interior of the --shaped member I I and therethrough with the nipple i5 by thepassagel.'

Connectedwiththe hollow interior of the shaft i9 as byconduit 2l is a source of vacuum, and the conduit ZI may includea throttle valve-.lla if desired.l

The passagel! `also communicates with a.' cylinder 22 having thereina :piston 23 which is continuously urged-toward the-right by compressible means'such as aspring.

It will -be apparent that when the ball II is resting againstthe open end of nipple I5 that the i2! Vacuum established in 'the passage-2Uwillgalso be established within thel cylinderl2'2.o`n'thepiston 23 to draw it leftwardly against .thefsprjing 24, allowing a switch'25t'0` close.

This switch is positionedat the extremeright end of' the cylinder Y22 and when the y,vacuum .is broken in thecylinder2`2 the switch is `opened by the piston 23 when it is movedrightwardly by the spring 24.

Directly beneath the nipple I5 `and in .axial alignment' therewith' there. is a 'tubeZB which'has opening into the side tliereo'fva'n .arcuate 4oonduit 2l which connects with a'Qball hopper-.Z3 supported on and convenientlylocated abovethe iloor I5 adjacent to ball position.

Slidably "mounted within the tube 12,6' 'lis ia'"b`all carrying member 29 including a golf ball seat andl which Arnelrlber'ZQ has secured thereto a raojky 3d on which runs theipinion'l carried'on the' shaft of a reversible-motor 32,*'saidgshaftibeing driven through an over-running clutch Voiany suitablefconstruction. It will be yapparent. Athat driving the motor 32in' one directionwill 4move the ball carrying member 2Q-upwardly'. and'driv`v ing the motor in the Iotherv direction*willmove'` said carrier downwardly.

Associated with thev portion of thetubefZS-*adjacent its connectionwith the fconduit -2l-I --is' an escapement forl balls, which consists*of-a\"disc33 and a pair oflball retaining pins `-3`4vthereon Inovable in arcuate slots-Slinthe-lconduitZI;

The disc 33Jcarries, an arm .-35 and .thisarin exltends into the 'path of4 pin V3l' `carried.,byflthe ball carrierA member 12 9; and :projecting through a slot 38 in thetube-IZB.

It will be. apparent that. if theball-carriersmem' ber 29 is in an upper position theydisc33` willi=be moved counter-clockwise bya spring .3-9fsogthat" the ball will roll against rtherightlhand pin'sl:

Thus, when the `ball'carrier membergZnisvref tracted downwardly to Vthe posi-tion shownl in Figure 1, the pin 37 willaengage the arm f35...to rotate the Ydisc 33v clockwise and thereby-release the ball resting against'therrighthand; pin 311x` This arrangement providesior the-deliveryrof one ball at a time to theball carrier member 29.v When a ball has been delivered to the ball gcarrier member 29 and itisy desired to .placethe ball on the tee, theball-carriermernber 2S is actuated upwardly.

The operation is shown' inv-more detail byreference to Figure'2. As the ballcarrienmember 2'9` moves vupwardly thel ball vI I; and not the vball carrier member 29, contactsand L-shapedmember I'I because of slot 4I, referred to hereinaft- 3 er, and lifts it to the dot-dash position 40 in Figure 2.

In this Figure 2 the carrier 29 is shown to have progressed to a point where the L-shaped member I'I has fallen beneath the ball due to slot 4I in the side of the ball carrier member 29, so that when the ball carrier member 29 is retracted the ball will be deposited on the upper end of nipple I as shown in Figure 1.

For the purpose which will become more apparent hereinafter, the ball carrier 29 has a latch member 42 thereon adapted for being engaged by a latch member 43 to which is connected a retracting solenoid S. This retracting solenoid S associated with latch member 43 is connected in circuit with the switch 25 through a source of power, such as a battery, by leads 44.

As will be seen when there is a vacuum in the cylinder 22 the switch 25 is operated to energize the solenoid S and thus to retract the latch member 43 allowing the carrier 29 to move to the ball receiving position.

In operation the motor 32 is normally energized from a battery 45 through a switch I4 to run in a direction urging carrier member 29 downwardly. In order to drive the member 29 upwardly the motor 32 is reversed by pressing the switch I4. This reverses the direction of the motor 32 and raises the member to its uppermost position.

Thus, when switch I4 is released the motor 32 is reversed and moves the member 29 downwardly until the latch members 42 and 43 meet, at which time further movement of the member 29 is stopped.

Thereafter, when the latch 43 is withdrawn by energization of the solenoid S the member 23 continues its downward movement' and comes to rest in the lowermost position shown in Figure l.

Operation of the tee mechanism may be summarized as follows:

When a ball has been driven from the tee a new ball is spotted on the tee by pressing the switch I4 which causes the ball carrier to move upwardly to its uppermost position.

The switch I4 is then released and the carrier 29 moves downwardly leaving the ball on the nipple I5 and is halted by the latch 43.

Thereafter the closing of the end of the tee by a ball causes a vacuum to build up in the cylinder 22 which in turn brings about the retraction of the latch 43 and the movement of the carrier 29 to its lowermost position.

As the carrier 29 retracts pin 31 contacts arm 36 which in turn rotates disc 33 until the rightward pin 34 is withdrawn from conduit 21, thus freeing the path of the ball from obstruction allowing the ball to fall into the ball retaining pocket of the carrier 29, where it is in position to be elevated and placed on the nipple I5.

' It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions and accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications Within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a teeing device for golf balls, ball positioning means comprising a base at ground level having an opening therein, a pivotable block in said base, an L-shaped hollow shaft rigidly supported in said pivotable block; a tubular resilient nipple projecting at ground level and upstanding adjacent the end of said shaft and having its interior in communication with the interior of said shaft; a conduit in said block serving to connect said shaft with a source of vacuum; a cylinder mounted in horizontal alignment with said hollow shaft; a piston in said cylinder; yieldable means continuously urging said piston in one direction; communication means between said cylinder and the conduit whereby vacuum while maintained urges the piston in the direction overcoming the force of the yieldable means; switch means actuated by said piston; a gear; a gear driven tubular member having a golf ball seat therein and vertically movable beneath and in axial alignment with said nipple and slotted at an upper wall portion thereof for receiving the L end of said hollow shaft; motor means for driving said gear to reciprocally move said tubular member in a vertical plane past said block at said opening in said base; latch means to halt said carrier in an upper position; means responsive to said switch actuated by said piston for withdrawing said latch; a hopper; a conduit extending from said hopper to immediately above the lowermost position of said tubular member; and escapement means operable by movement of said tubular member to permit balls to be fed singly from said conduit only when the tubular member and ball seat are in position to receive said ball.

2. In a teeing device for golf balls, ball positioning means comprising a single vertically disposed and movable tubular member having a longitudinal slot in an upper wall portion thereof, a golf ball seat in said member interposed between the ends of said slot, a horizontally extending member pivotally mounted for movement in a vertical plane and having a portieriy thereof including a golf tee extending into the path of said vertically movable tubular member at said slot, said tee comprising a nipple which is connected to a vacuum source, and means to reciprocate said tubular member in said vertical plane past said horizontally extending member whereby said horizontally extending member may be displaced by contact with a ball in the said seat of said tubular member by the vertical rise thereof and said ball is deposited on the said tee in the downward movement of said tubular member.

3. In a teeing device for golf balls, ball positioning means comprising a single vertically disposed and movable tubular member having a longitudinal slot in an upper wall portion thereof, a golf ball seat in said member interposed between the ends of said slot, a horizontally extendmg member pivotally mounted for movement in a vertical plane and having a portion thereof including a golf tee extending into the path of said vertically movable tubular member at said slot, said tee comprising a nipple which is connected to a vacuum source, and means includlng a motor, a rack and pinion on said tubular member connected to be driven by said motor and a switch for controlling the direction of r0- tation of said motor, said motor being selectively energized by said switch to reciprocate said tubular member in said vertical plane past said horizontally extending member whereby said horizontally extending member may be displaced by contact with a ball in the said seat of said tubular member by the vertical rise thereof and said ball is deposited on the said tee in the downward movement of said tubular member.

4. In a teeing device for golf balls, ball positioning means comprising a single vertically disposed and movable tubular member having a longitudinal slot in an upper wall portion and a rst latch member extending from an outer wall thereof, a golf ball seat in said member interposed between the ends of said slot, a base member having an opening therein for passage of said tubular member, a horizontally extending member pivotally mounted in said base member for movement in a vertical plane and having a portion thereof including a hollow golf tee extending into the path of said vertically movable tubular member at said slot, said horizontally extending member comprising vacuum means connected with said hollow tee, means to reciprocate said tubular member in said vertical plane past said horizontally extending member whereby said horizontally extending member may be displaced by contact with a ball in the said seat of said tubular member by the vertical rise thereof and said ball is deposited on the said tee in the return movement of said tubular member, a second latch member supported from said REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,013,881 Fleming Sept. 10, 1935 2,051,253 Goehler et al Aug. 18, 1936 2,315,257 Harlow Mar. 30, 1943 2,335,280 Hogeberg Nov. 30, 1943 2,520,952 Mozel Sept. 5, 1950 

